U.S. patent application number 11/943606 was filed with the patent office on 2009-05-21 for signature-based advertisement scheduling.
This patent application is currently assigned to MICROSOFT CORPORATION. Invention is credited to Peter T. Barrett, David H. Sloo.
Application Number | 20090132339 11/943606 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 40642925 |
Filed Date | 2009-05-21 |
United States Patent
Application |
20090132339 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Sloo; David H. ; et
al. |
May 21, 2009 |
Signature-Based Advertisement Scheduling
Abstract
Signature-based advertisement scheduling techniques are
described. In an implementation, a signature for each of a
plurality of advertisements is computed that describes
characteristics of the respective advertisements. The signatures
are compared to determine similarities of the plurality of
advertisements, one to another. The plurality of advertisements is
then scheduled for output in conjunction with content based on the
comparison.
Inventors: |
Sloo; David H.; (Menlo Park,
CA) ; Barrett; Peter T.; (San Francisco, CA) |
Correspondence
Address: |
MICROSOFT CORPORATION
ONE MICROSOFT WAY
REDMOND
WA
98052
US
|
Assignee: |
MICROSOFT CORPORATION
Redmond
WA
|
Family ID: |
40642925 |
Appl. No.: |
11/943606 |
Filed: |
November 21, 2007 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
705/7.12 ;
705/14.69 |
Current CPC
Class: |
G06Q 30/0273 20130101;
G06Q 30/02 20130101; G06Q 10/0631 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
705/10 ;
705/14 |
International
Class: |
G06Q 30/00 20060101
G06Q030/00 |
Claims
1. A method comprising: computing a signature for each of a
plurality of advertisements that describes characteristics of
respective said advertisements; comparing the signatures to
determine similarities of the plurality of advertisements, one to
another; and scheduling the plurality of advertisements for output
in conjunction with television content based on the comparison.
2. A method as described in claim 1, wherein each said signature
uniquely identifies a respective said advertisement.
3. A method as described in claim 1, wherein the characteristics of
at least two said advertisements match.
4. A method as described in claim 3, wherein the scheduling is
performed such that the at least two said advertisements are not
output back-to-back.
5. A method as described in claim 3, wherein the scheduling is
performed such that the at least two said advertisements are not
output within a same advertisement block of the content.
6. A method as described in claim 1, wherein the scheduling is
performed based on one or more metrics that describe a desired
frequency of output of a respective said advertisement.
7. A method as described in claim 1, wherein: at least one said
advertisement is provided by a content provider that originated the
television content; and one or more said advertisements are
provided by a network operator that streams the content having the
scheduled plurality of advertisements to a client.
8. A method as described in claim 1, wherein the computing, the
comparing and the scheduling are performed via a user interface
output by a network operator to an advertiser.
9. A method as described in claim 1, wherein: each said signature
is formed as a multidimensional vector; and each said dimension
corresponds to a respective said characteristic.
10. A method as described in claim 1, wherein the scheduling is
further performed by taking into account one or more user
preferences.
11. A method as described in claim 10, wherein the user preferences
are described using signatures that describe the characteristics of
advertisements with which a user has interacted.
12. One or more computer-readable media comprising instructions
that are executable to: obtain user preferences that are based on
monitored user interaction with one or more advertisements; compare
one or more signatures of the one or more advertisements of the
user preferences with at least one signature of an advertisement
that is to be output in conjunction with television content; and
schedule output of the advertisement that is to be output in
conjunction with the television content based on the
comparison.
13. One or more computer-readable media as described in claim 12,
wherein each said signature: uniquely identifies a respective said
advertisement; and describes characteristics of the respective said
advertisement through use of a multidimensional vector, each said
dimension corresponding to a respective said characteristic.
14. One or more computer-readable media as described in claim 12,
wherein the user preferences describe particular said
advertisements of the one or more advertisements that were
time-shifted.
15. One or more computer-readable media as described in claim 12,
wherein the user preferences describe particular said
advertisements of the one or more advertisements that were
output.
16. One or more computer readable media comprising instructions
that are executable to: receive an advertisement to be scheduled
for output in conjunction with television content; compute a
signature of the advertisement to be scheduled for output in
conjunction with the content using a multidimensional vector, each
vector dimension corresponding to a characteristic of the
advertisement; and schedule the advertisement to be output based on
a comparison of the signature to a plurality of other said
signatures computed from other advertisements to be output in
conjunction with the television content.
17. One or more computer readable media as described in claim 16,
wherein the advertisement is scheduled at least in part based on
another advertisement that is also to be output in conjunction with
the television content and has the characteristics that match the
characteristics of the advertisement.
18. One or more computer readable media as described in claim 16,
wherein the advertisement is scheduled at least in part based on
one or more user preferences involving at least one said other
advertisement that has one or more said characteristics that do not
match the advertisement to be scheduled.
19. One or more computer readable media as described in claim 16,
wherein at least one said other advertisement has at least one
similar but non-matching characteristic.
20. One or more computer readable media as described in claim 16,
wherein the advertisement is scheduled through output of a user
interface.
Description
BACKGROUND
[0001] Advertising continues to be one of the major driving factors
used to generate revenue by content providers and network
operators. In traditional advertising models, advertisements were
embedded in content, such as television programs, which were then
broadcast "over the air" to consumers such that the consumers were
able to consume the content. Thus, in this traditional model
revenue collected from advertisers was used to support the
provision of the content to users.
[0002] Traditional techniques that were used to schedule
advertisements, however, were often crude and may even result in
missed revenue opportunities under this model. For example, an
advertiser may specify that a certain advertisement is to be aired
a specified number of times during broadcast of a television
program. In some instances, however, the advertisement may be
broadcast in a manner that is inconsistent with desires of the
advertiser, such as by displaying the advertisement back-to-back.
In such an instance, the content provider and/or network operator
may be forced to "make good" to the advertiser due to this
inconsistency, e.g., by offering another advertising opportunity
during another episode of the television program free of charge or
for a reduced rate.
SUMMARY
[0003] Signature-based advertisement scheduling techniques are
described. In an implementation, a signature for each of a
plurality of advertisements is computed that describes
characteristics of the respective advertisements. The signatures
are compared to determine similarities of the plurality of
advertisements, one to another. The plurality of advertisements is
then scheduled for output in conjunction with television content
based on the comparison.
[0004] In another implementation, one or more computer-readable
media include instructions that are executable to obtain user
preferences that are based on monitored user interaction with one
or more advertisements. One or more signatures of the one or more
advertisements of the user preferences are compared with at least
one signature of an advertisement that is to be output in
conjunction with television content and output of the advertisement
is scheduled based on the comparison.
[0005] This Summary is provided to introduce a selection of
concepts in a simplified form that are further described below in
the Detailed Description. This Summary is not intended to identify
key features or essential features of the claimed subject matter,
nor is it intended to be used as an aid in determining the scope of
the claimed subject matter.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0006] The detailed description is described with reference to the
accompanying figures. In the figures, the left-most digit(s) of a
reference number identifies the figure in which the reference
number first appears. The use of the same reference numbers in
different instances in the description and the figures may indicate
similar or identical items.
[0007] FIG. 1 is an illustration of an environment in an exemplary
implementation that is operable to employ signature-based
techniques to schedule advertisements.
[0008] FIG. 2 is an illustration of a system showing a network
operator and clients of FIG. 1 in greater detail.
[0009] FIG. 3 is a flow diagram depicting a procedure in an
exemplary implementation in which content is segmented and a
signature is derived for the segments.
[0010] FIG. 4 is a flow diagram depicting a procedure in an
exemplary implementation in which a user interface is provided by a
network operator to schedule advertisements based on signatures
generated for the advertisements.
[0011] FIG. 5 is a flow diagram depicting a procedure in an
exemplary implementation in which user preferences are utilized in
combination with signature-based techniques to schedule an
advertisement.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0012] Overview
[0013] Users have access to an increasing range of content and
techniques that may be used to consume that content, such as
video-on-demand, digital video recorders, digital television
systems that offer interactive programming, and so on. Traditional
advertising models, however, often lagged these developments when
it came to scheduling advertisements to be output in conjunction
with the content, which may result in lost revenue
opportunities.
[0014] Signature-based advertisement scheduling techniques are
described. In an implementation, techniques are described to create
a signature of an advertisement that describes characteristics of
the advertisement. The signature may be formed in a variety of
ways, such as through the use of vectors in which each vector
represents a different characteristic.
[0015] The signatures may then be used to compare the
advertisements, one to another, for scheduling purposes. For
example, the signatures may be used to determine whether particular
advertisements are an identical match, such as to prevent
back-to-back repeats of advertisements. The signatures may also be
used to identify similar advertisements and schedule accordingly,
such as to provide space between car ads such that one car
advertisement does not directly follow another car advertisement. A
variety of other instances are also contemplated, further
discussion of which may be found in relation to FIGS. 3 and 4.
[0016] In another implementation, user interaction with
advertisements is monitored at a client. For example, a user may
interact with a digital video recorder (DVR) to "time shift" an
output of a television program, such as to fast forward through
advertisements. Signatures may be obtained which identify these
advertisements, which may be stored as user preferences to schedule
future advertisements, such as to block further output of those
advertisements, cause additional output of other advertisements,
and so on, further discussion of which may be found in relation to
FIG. 5.
[0017] In the following discussion, an exemplary environment is
first described that is operable to employ signature-based
advertisement scheduling techniques. Exemplary procedures are then
described that may be employed in the exemplary environment, as
well as in other environments. Although these techniques are
described as employed within a television environment in the
following discussion, it should be readily apparent that these
techniques may be incorporated within a variety of environments
without departing from the spirit and scope thereof.
[0018] Exemplary Environment
[0019] FIG. 1 is an illustration of an environment 100 in an
exemplary implementation that is operable to employ signature-based
techniques to schedule advertisements. The illustrated environment
100 includes a network operator 102 (e.g., a "head end"), one or
more clients 104(n), an advertiser 106 and a content provider 108
that are communicatively coupled, one to another, via network
connections 110, 112, 114. In the following discussion, the network
operator 102, the client 104(n), the advertiser 106 and the content
provider 108 may be representative of one or more entities, and
therefore reference may be made to a single entity (e.g., the
client 104(n)) or multiple entities (e.g., the clients 104(n), the
plurality of clients 104(n), and so on). Additionally, although a
plurality of network connections 110-114 are shown separately, the
network connections 110-114 may be representative of network
connections achieved using a single network or multiple networks.
For example, network connection 114 may be representative of a
broadcast network with back channel communication, an Internet
Protocol (IP) network, and so on.
[0020] The client 104(n) may be configured in a variety of ways.
For example, the client 104(n) may be configured as a computer that
is capable of communicating over the network connection 114, such
as a desktop computer, a mobile station, an entertainment
appliance, a set-top box communicatively coupled to a display
device as illustrated, a wireless phone, and so forth. For purposes
of the following discussion, the client 104(n) may also relate to a
person and/or entity that operate the client. In other words,
client 104(n) may describe a logical client that includes a user,
software and/or a machine (e.g., a client device).
[0021] The content provider 108 includes one or more items of
content 116(k), where "k" can be any integer from 1 to "K". The
content 116(k) may include a variety of data, such as television
content that may include television programming, video-on-demand
(VOD) files, and so on. The content 116(k) is communicated over the
network connection 110 to the network operator 102.
[0022] Content 116(k) communicated via the network connection 110
is received by the network operator 102 and may be stored as one or
more items of content 118(o), where "n" can be any integer from "l"
to "O". The content 118(o) may be the same as or different from the
content 116(k) received from the content provider 108. The content
118(o), for instance, may include additional data for broadcast to
the client 104(n), such as electronic program guide (EPG) data.
[0023] The client 104(n), as previously stated, may be configured
in a variety of ways to receive the content 118(o) over the network
connection 114. The client 104(n) typically includes hardware and
software to transport and decrypt content 118(o) received from the
network operator 102 for rendering by the illustrated display
device. Although a display device is shown, a variety of other
output devices are also contemplated, such as speakers.
[0024] The client 104(n) may also include digital video recorder
(DVR) functionality. For instance, the client 104(n) may include a
storage device 120(n) to record content 118(o) as content 122(c)
(where "c" can be any integer from one to "C") received via the
network connection 114 for output to and rendering by the display
device. The storage device 120(n) may be configured in a variety of
ways, such as a hard disk drive, a removable computer-readable
medium (e.g., a writable digital video disc), and so on. Thus,
content 122(c) that is stored in the storage device 120(n) of the
client 104(n) may be copies of the content 118(o) that was streamed
from the network operator 102. Additionally, content 122(c) may be
obtained from a variety of other sources, such as from a
computer-readable medium that is accessed by the client 104(n), and
so on.
[0025] The client 104(n) includes a communication module 124(n)
that is executable on the client 104(n) to control content playback
on the client 104(n), such as through the use of one or more
"command modes". The command modes may provide non-linear playback
of the content 122(c) (i.e., time shift the playback of the content
122(c)) such as pause, rewind, fast forward, slow motion playback,
and the like.
[0026] The network operator 102 is illustrated as including a
manager module 126. The manager module 126 is representative of
functionality to configure content 118(o) for output (e.g.,
streaming) over the network connection 114 to the client 104(n).
The manager module 126, for instance, may configure content 116(k)
received from the content provider 108 to be suitable for
transmission over the network connection 114, such as to
"packetize" the content for distribution over the Internet,
configuration for a particular broadcast channel, map the content
116(k) to particular channels, and so on.
[0027] Thus, in the environment 100 of FIG. 1, the content provider
108 may broadcast the content 116(k) over a network connection 110
to a multiplicity of network operators, an example of which is
illustrated as network operator 102. The network operator 102 may
then stream the content 118(o) over a network connection to a
multitude of clients, an example of which is illustrated as client
104(n). The client 104(n) may then store the content 118(o) in the
storage device 120(n) as content 122(c), such as when the client
104(n) is configured to include digital video recorder (DVR)
functionality.
[0028] The content 118(o) may also be representative of
time-shifted content, such as video-on-demand (VOD) content that is
streamed to the client 104(n) when requested, such as movies,
sporting events, and so on. For example, the network operator 102
may execute the manager module 126 to provide a VOD system such
that the content provider 108 supplies content 116(k) in the form
of complete content files to the network operator 102. The network
operator 102 may then store the content 116(k) as content 118(o).
The client 104(n) may then request playback of desired content
118(o) by contacting the network operator 102 (e.g., a VOD server)
and requesting a feed (e.g., stream) of the desired content.
[0029] In another example, the content 118(o) may further be
representative of content (e.g., content 116(k)) that was recorded
by the network operator 102 in response to a request from the
client 104(n), in what may be referred to as a network DVR example.
Like VOD, the recorded content 118(o) may then be streamed to the
client 104(n) when requested. Interaction with the content 118(o)
by the client 104(n) may be similar to interaction that may be
performed when the content 122(c) is stored locally in the storage
device 120(n).
[0030] To collect revenue using a traditional advertising model,
the content provider 108 may embed advertisements in the content
116(k). Likewise, the network operator 102 may also embed
advertisements 128(a) obtained from the advertiser 106 in the
content 118(o) to also collect revenue using the traditional
advertising model. For example, the content provider 108 may
correspond to a "national" television broadcaster and therefore
offer the content 116(k) and national advertising opportunities to
advertisers, which are then embedded in the content 116(k). The
network operator 102, on the other hand, may correspond to a
"local" television broadcaster and offer the content 118(o) with
the advertisements embedded by the content provider 108 as well as
advertisements obtained from local advertisers to the client
104(n). Thus, the advertisements 130(d) which are included with the
content 122(c) streamed to the client 104(n) may be provided from a
variety of sources. Although national and local examples were
described, a wide variety of other examples are also
contemplated.
[0031] The manager module 126 is illustrated as including a segment
module 132 which is representative of functionality to segment
content (e.g., content 118(o)), into program segments and
advertising segments. The segments, therefore, are distinct time
segments of the content 118(o) that are differentiated by "what" is
contained in the segments, in this case the program or advertising.
Segmenting the content is not limited to the network operator 102
and may be performed by a variety of different entities, such as by
a segment module 134(n) by the client 104(n) as illustrated in FIG.
1.
[0032] The segment module 132 may also be representative of
techniques to uniquely identify the segments. For example, the
segment module 132 may derive a signature for each of the segments
based on characteristics in the segment, such as volume, images
within the segments, use of color, identification of logos,
frequency of frame output, volume level, associated metadata, and
so on. Thus, in this example the signature helps identify "what" is
contained in the respective segment. These signatures may be
utilized in a variety of ways, such as to identify matching
advertisements (e.g., the same advertisements being output at
different times) as well as similar advertisements, such as
advertisements in a similar genre, having a similar output type
(e.g., action vs. spokesperson), and so on. It should be noted that
implementation of the functionality represented by the segment
module 132 is not limited to the network operator 102 and may be
performed by a variety of entities, such as the client 104(n) as
illustrated by segment module 134(n), a third-party web service,
and so on.
[0033] For example, the network operator 102 is also illustrated as
including a scheduler module 136 which is representative of
functionality to schedule advertisements. For instance, the
scheduler module 136 may be configured as an executable module that
schedules advertisements automatically and without user
intervention based on signatures derived for the advertisements by
the segment module 132. In another instance, the scheduler module
136 may output a user interface that provides for interaction with
an advertiser to schedule the advertisements 128(a) for output with
the content 118(o). This scheduling may be performed in a variety
of ways, further discussion of which may be found in relation to
FIG. 2.
[0034] FIG. 2 depicts a system 200 in an exemplary implementation
showing the network operator 102 of FIG. 1 and the client 104(n) in
greater detail. The network operator 102 and the client 104(n) are
both illustrated as devices (e.g., the client 104(n) is illustrated
as a client device) having respective processors 202, 204(n) and
memory 206, 208(n). Processors are not limited by the materials
from which they are formed or the processing mechanisms employed
therein. For example, processors may be comprised of
semiconductor(s) and/or transistors (e.g., electronic integrated
circuits (ICs)). In such a context, processor-executable
instructions may be electronically-executable instructions.
Additionally, although a single memory 206, 208(n) is shown,
respectively, for the network operator 102 and the client 104(n), a
wide variety of types and combinations of memory may be employed,
such as random access memory (RAM), hard disk memory, removable
medium memory, and other types of computer-readable media.
[0035] The network operator 102 is illustrated as executing the
manager module 126 having the segment module 132 and the scheduler
module 136 on the processor 202, which is storable in memory 206.
As previously described, the segment module 132 is representative
of functionality to segment content 118(o) into distinct time
segments, an example of which is illustrated by a content timeline
210 in FIG. 2.
[0036] The content timeline 210 includes a plurality of distinct
time segments to be output, which are illustrated as blocks, which
may be segmented through execution of the segment module 132. In
the illustrated content timeline 210, program segments 212(1),
212(2) that contain the program (e.g., do not contain
advertisements) are noted through the use of brackets. Advertising
segments are illustrated through the use of letters which identify
particular advertisements. A first advertising block, for instance,
is illustrated as including advertisements "A", "B", "C" and "D". A
second advertising block after program segment 212(1) is
illustrated as including advertisements "B", "D", "E" and "C". A
third advertising block after program segment 212(2) is illustrated
as including advertisements "A", "F" and "G".
[0037] Each of the advertisements as well as the program segments
212(1), 212(2) may be uniquely identified by the segment module 132
as previously described. For example, the segment module 132 may
utilize a variety of characteristics that may help to uniquely
identify the advertisements 128(a). Each of these characteristics
may then be assigned to a dimension such that a multi-dimensional
vector is derived that may act as a signature for the
advertisements. Thus, the signature may directly identify the
characteristics of a respective advertisement and/or program
segment. The signatures may thus be utilized for a variety of
purposes.
[0038] For example, the scheduler module 136 may schedule the
advertisements 128(a) for inclusion in the content 118(o) based on
the respective signatures generated by the segment module 132. For
instance, metrics may be computed that indicate that consumer
satisfaction and ad-effectiveness are heightened when an
advertisements is shown a certain number of times and with a
particular frequency, e.g., show advertisement "A" twice within a
one-hour program at approximately ten minutes apart.
[0039] In this instance, the scheduler module 136 may use the
signatures that uniquely identify the advertisements with the
metrics to perform the scheduling. For example, the scheduler
module 126 may reschedule advertisements of the content timeline
210 to form content timeline 212. During this rescheduling,
advertisement "A" is moved from the third advertisement block in
content timeline 210 (e.g., after program segment 212(2)) to the
beginning of the second advertising block (e.g., after program
segment 212(1)) to comply with the metrics.
[0040] In another example, the scheduler module 126 may take into
account one or more user preferences 214(n). For instance, as
previously described the communication module 124(n) may support
time-shifting, such as to fast forward through advertisements
during output of a television program in a DVR example. The user
preferences 214(n) may be configured to reflect which
advertisements and/or what are the characteristics of the
advertisements that are watched or "skipped" through the use of
signatures derived from a segment module 134(n) of FIG. 1. These
user preferences may then be used by the scheduler module 136, such
as to output similar advertisements, replace advertisements that
are typically skipped with advertisements that are typically
watched, and so on. Thus, the signatures may be used to schedule
advertisements based on user preferences that may also incorporate
(e.g., are indexed by) the signatures, further discussion of which
may be found in relation to FIG. 5.
[0041] In a further example, the signatures may be used to identify
characteristics of advertisements in a user interface such that the
advertiser may select "when" and "where" to schedule an
advertisement 128(a). The network operator 102, for instance,
through execution of the scheduler module 136 may output a user
interface having a content timeline. Advertising opportunities may
be identified in the content timeline, with opportunities that have
already been purchased represented through the use of signatures
derived from the advertisements. Because the signatures may depict
characteristics of the respective advertisements, the advertiser
106 may be readily informed as to the characteristics of other
advertisements that are to be output in conjunction with the
content 118(o) and plan accordingly. For instance, the advertiser
106 may schedule a desired advertisement a certain "distance"
(e.g., amount of time) away from a substantially similar
advertisement. A variety of other instances are also contemplated,
further discussion of which may be found in relation to FIG. 4.
[0042] Generally, any of the functions described herein can be
implemented using software, firmware, hardware (e.g., fixed-logic
circuitry), manual processing, or a combination of these
implementations. The terms "module", "functionality" and "logic" as
used herein generally represent software, firmware, hardware, or a
combination thereof. In the case of a software implementation, for
instance, the module, functionality, or logic represents program
code that performs specified tasks when executed on a processor
(e.g., CPU or CPUs). The program code can be stored in one or more
computer-readable memory devices. The features of the
signature-based advertisement scheduling techniques are
platform-independent, meaning that the techniques may be
implemented on a variety of commercial computing platforms having a
variety of processors.
[0043] Exemplary Procedures
[0044] The following discussion describes signature-based
advertisement scheduling techniques that may be implemented
utilizing the previously described environment, systems and
devices. Aspects of each of the procedures may be implemented in
hardware, firmware, or software, or a combination thereof. The
procedures are shown as a set of blocks that specify operations
performed by one or more devices and are not necessarily limited to
the orders shown for performing the operations by the respective
blocks. In portions of the following discussion, reference will be
made to the environment 100 of FIG. 1 and the system 200 of FIG.
2.
[0045] FIG. 3 depicts a procedure 300 in an exemplary
implementation in which content is segmented and a signature is
derived for the segments. Content is segmented, which has one or
more advertisements embedded by a content provider, into a
plurality of segments (block 302). The content, for instance, may
be received by a network operator 102 from a content provider 108.
The content provider may correspond to a "national" broadcaster
(e.g., CBS, ABC, NBC) that originated the content and includes
advertisements in the content to collect revenue.
[0046] The content may be segmented in a variety of ways. For
example, the different segments of the content may be segmented
into thirty second distinct time periods. In another example,
"breaks" between segments may be identified. A variety of other
examples are also contemplated.
[0047] An identification is performed to determine which of the
plurality of segments are program segments (block 304). An
identification is also performed to determine which of the
plurality of segments are advertising segments (block 306). For
example, characteristics may be used to differentiate program
segments from advertising segments. For instance, a higher volume
level is generally observed for advertising segments as opposed to
program segments. Scene changes, musical selection, dialog
characteristics, identification of static images, and so on are
further examples of characteristics that may be used to
differentiate between programs and advertisements. Additionally,
the identification may be performed such that advertisements are
differentiated, one from another using similar techniques.
[0048] A signature is then computed for each advertising segment
based on characteristics of the segment (block 308). As previously
described, for instance, the signature may be computed as a
multi-dimensional vector that describes characteristics of the
advertising segment.
[0049] The one or more advertisements are then scheduled based on
respective signatures (block 310). For example, the advertisements
may be scheduled automatically and without user intervention
through execution of the scheduler module 136 based on metrics
which describe an optimal placement of the advertisements 128(a)
within the content 118(o), e.g., two times, ten minutes apart
within a thirty-minute television program, and so on. In another
example, the scheduler module 136 may reschedule advertisements
that are scheduled within a threshold amount of time that are too
"similar" based on the signatures. For instance, the signatures may
indicate that the advertisements share too many characteristics to
be included in a same advertising block (e.g., the advertisements
may match, have a similar "look and feel", and so on) between
program segments and consequently reschedule at least one of the
advertisements in another advertising block. A variety of other
examples are also contemplated, further discussion of which may be
found in relation to the following figure.
[0050] FIG. 4 depicts a procedure 400 in an exemplary
implementation in which a user interface is provided by a network
operator to schedule advertisements based on signatures generated
for the advertisements. A user interface is provided by a network
operator that is accessible by one or more advertisers (block 402).
The advertiser 106, for instance, may access a website of the
network operator 102 using a web browser. A variety of other
instances are also contemplated.
[0051] An advertisement is received to be scheduled for output in
conjunction with content (block 404). Continuing with the previous
instance, the network operator 102 may receive the advertisement
128(a) from the advertiser 106 via a web interface. In another
instance, the network operator 102 may receive the advertisement
128 via a storage computer-readable medium, such as a digital video
disk.
[0052] A signature is computed of the advertisement that describes
characteristics of the advertisement (block 406). For example, the
characteristics may be determined which are useful in
differentiating one of the advertisements 128(a) from another
advertisement 128(a), such as frequency of camera/scene changes,
coloring, lighting, volume, audio dynamics (e.g., dialog), and so
forth. Each of these characteristics may then be assigned to a
vector/dimension, which is then used to compute a multidimensional
vector that serves as a signature for the advertisement. A variety
of other techniques are also contemplated that are based on
characteristics of the underlying advertisement.
[0053] The signature of the advertisement is compared with at least
one other signature of another advertisement to be output in
conjunction with the content (block 408). The scheduler module 136,
for instance, may compare the signature computed at block 406 with
similarly computed signatures of other advertisements 128(a) to be
output in conjunction with the content 118(o).
[0054] The advertisement may then be scheduled based on the
comparison (block 410). Additionally, the other advertisement may
be rescheduled based on the comparison (block 412). For example,
the scheduling and the rescheduling may be based on similarities
and/or differences of the signatures and consequently the
characteristics of the respective advertisements. In this way,
scheduling may be based on similarities of the characteristics even
when the respective advertisements are non-matching, one to
another. Thus, an optimal scheduled placement for the advertisement
may be determined.
[0055] FIG. 5 depicts a procedure 500 in an exemplary
implementation in which user preferences are utilized in
combination with signature-based techniques to schedule an
advertisement. User interaction with one or more advertisements at
a client is monitored (block 502). For example, the user
interaction may include use or nonuse of command modes to time
shift an output of content, e.g., to fast forward through a
particular television commercial while permitting output of another
television commercial.
[0056] User preferences are stored based on the monitored
interaction with a signature that describes the one or more
advertisements (block 504). For example, the user interaction may
be tracked for particular advertisements through use of a signature
as previously described that describes characteristics of the
signature. Thus, the signature may be used to uniquely identify the
advertisements as well as the particular characteristics used to
compute the signature. By associating the monitored interaction
with the signatures, particular advertisements as well as
characteristics may be tracked to more fully describe the actual
preferences of the user.
[0057] The user preferences may then be obtained that are based on
monitored user interaction with one or more advertisements (block
506), such as by the network operator 102, a communication module
124(n) from storage 120(n), and so on. One or more signatures of
the one or more advertisements of the user preferences may then be
compared with at least one signature of an advertisement that is to
be output in conjunction with content (block 508). The other
advertisement, for instance, may have already been received in a
stream from the network operator 102 and output by the
communication module 124(n). In another instance, the other
advertisement may be scheduled for output by the network operator
102.
[0058] Output of the advertisement that is to be output in
conjunction with the content is scheduled based on the comparison
(block 510). This may be performed in a variety of ways. For
example, the scheduling may include blocking output of the
advertisement based on the user preferences (block 512), such as to
replace the advertisement with another advertisement due to a
previous "skipping of output" of the advertisement through
time-shifting. In another example, output of the advertisement
having a signature that is similar to a previous signature of an
advertisement output by the client is repeated (block 514). For
example, the communication module 124(n) may decide to repeat
similar advertisements that were output by the client 104(n), such
as to replace a blocked advertisement as described in relation to
block 512 with an advertisement having desirable characteristics as
indicated by the signature. A variety of other examples are also
contemplated.
CONCLUSION
[0059] Although the invention has been described in language
specific to structural features and/or methodological acts, it is
to be understood that the invention defined in the appended claims
is not necessarily limited to the specific features or acts
described. Rather, the specific features and acts are disclosed as
exemplary forms of implementing the claimed invention.
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